Current radiofrequency ablation (“RF”) devices are constructed in a variety of configurations to target specific maladies and to provide for specific treatment protocols. In particular, many RF ablation devices have one or more treatment regions in which multiple treatment electrodes are disposed and are torqueable, or otherwise manipulatable, into a variety of different geometric configurations to treat particular cardiovascular tissues. For example, treatment electrodes may be coupled to an array or a carrier assembly manipulatable to define substantially linear, helical, and circular configurations depending on the desired treatment to be performed. In such multi-electrode configurations, each adjacent electrode may be spaced a distance away, whether longitudinal or radial, such that that bipolar or unipolar radiofrequency energy may be transmitted between the electrodes to treat the tissue.
Because the treatment electrodes may be manipulated into a variety of different positions, adjacent electrodes may be unintentionally positioned too close to one another such during transmission of radiofrequency energy, microbubbles may be formed around or on the electrodes. For example, when the electrode array is torqued to define a substantially circular configuration, when a distal electrode in the array is torqued and manipulated toward a proximal electrode in the array to define a circle, depending on the skill of the surgeon, the array may be over-manipulated such that two or more electrodes may be sufficiently close to one another to cause bubble formation, but not a short circuit between the electrodes. The presence of a high current density between the closely spaced electrodes causes overheating and production of large volume of bubbles surrounding the electrodes. Current methods of detecting short circuits in electrosurgical devices do not provide any method or mechanism for detecting dangerous bubble formation.
Accordingly, what is needed is a method of a microbubble detection that facilitates the on-off operation of individual electrodes in an electrode array that is specific to a particular energy delivery mode.